Minnesota Statutes 2005

  200.02 Definitions.


    Subd. 6.    Political party.  "Political party" means an
 association of individuals under whose name a candidate files
 for partisan office.


    Subd. 7.    Major political party.  (a) "Major political
 party" means a political party that maintains a party
 organization in the state, political division or precinct in
 question and that has presented at least one candidate for
 election to the office of:

    (1) governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state,
 state auditor, or attorney general at the last preceding state
 general election for those offices; or

    (2) presidential elector or U.S. senator at the last
 preceding state general election for presidential electors; and

    whose candidate received votes in each county in that
 election and received votes from not less than five percent of
 the total number of individuals who voted in that election.

    (b) "Major political party" also means a political party
 that maintains a party organization in the state, political
 subdivision, or precinct in question and that has presented at
 least 45 candidates for election to the office of state
 representative, 23 candidates for election to the office of
 state senator, four candidates for election to the office of
 representative in Congress, and one candidate for election to
 each of the following offices:  governor and lieutenant
 governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and state
 auditor, at the last preceding state general election for those
 offices.

    (c) "Major political party" also means a political party
 that maintains a party organization in the state, political
 subdivision, or precinct in question and whose members present
 to the secretary of state at any time before the close of filing
 for the state partisan primary ballot a petition for a place on
 the state partisan primary ballot, which petition contains
 signatures of a number of the party members equal to at least
 five percent of the total number of individuals who voted in the
 preceding state general election.

    (d) A political party whose candidate receives a sufficient
 number of votes at a state general election described in
 paragraph (a) or a political party that presents candidates at
 an election as required by paragraph (b) becomes a major
 political party as of January 1 following that election and
 retains its major party status for at least two state general
 elections even if the party fails to present a candidate who
 receives the number and percentage of votes required under
 paragraph (a) or fails to present candidates as required by
 paragraph (b) at subsequent state general elections.

    (e) A major political party whose candidates fail to
 receive the number and percentage of votes required under
 paragraph (a) and that fails to present candidates as required
 by paragraph (b) at each of two consecutive state general
 elections described by paragraph (a) or (b), respectively, loses
 major party status as of December 31 following the later of the
 two consecutive state general elections.



    Subd. 23.    Minor political party.  (a) "Minor
 political party" means a political party that has adopted a
 state constitution, designated a state party chair, held a state
 convention in the last two years, filed with the secretary of
 state no later than December 31 following the most recent state
 general election a certification that the party has met the
 foregoing requirements, and met the requirements of paragraph
 (b) or (e), as applicable.

    (b) To be considered a minor party in all elections
 statewide, the political party must have presented at least one
 candidate for election to the office of:

    (1) governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state,
 state auditor, or attorney general, at the last preceding state
 general election for those offices; or

    (2) presidential elector or U.S. senator at the preceding
 state general election for presidential electors; and

    who received votes in each county that in the aggregate
 equal at least one percent of the total number of individuals
 who voted in the election, or its members must have presented to
 the secretary of state at any time before the close of filing
 for the state partisan primary ballot a nominating petition in a
 form prescribed by the secretary of state containing the
 signatures of party members in a number equal to at least one
 percent of the total number of individuals who voted in the
 preceding state general election.

    (c) A political party whose candidate receives a sufficient
 number of votes at a state general election described in
 paragraph (b) becomes a minor political party as of January 1
 following that election and retains its minor party status for
 at least two state general elections even if the party fails to
 present a candidate who receives the number and percentage of
 votes required under paragraph (b) at subsequent state general
 elections.

    (d) A minor political party whose candidates fail to
 receive the number and percentage of votes required under
 paragraph (b) at each of two consecutive state general elections
 described by paragraph (b) loses minor party status as of
 December 31 following the later of the two consecutive state
 general elections.

    (e) A minor party that qualifies to be a major party loses
 its status as a minor party at the time it becomes a major
 party.  Votes received by the candidates of a major party must
 be counted in determining whether the party received sufficient
 votes to qualify as a minor party, notwithstanding that the
 party does not receive sufficient votes to retain its major
 party status.  To be considered a minor party in an election in
 a legislative district, the political party must have presented
 at least one candidate for a legislative office in that district
 who received votes from at least ten percent of the total number
 of individuals who voted for that office, or its members must
 have presented to the secretary of state a nominating petition
 in a form prescribed by the secretary of state containing the
 signatures of party members in a number equal to at least ten
 percent of the total number of individuals who voted in the
 preceding state general election for that legislative office.

    Subd. 24.    Metropolitan area.  "Metropolitan area"
 means the counties of Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin,
 Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright.

    HIST: 1959 c 675 art 1 s 2; Ex1961 c 10 s 1; 1973 c 123 art 3
 s 1; art 5 s 7; 1973 c 576 s 1; 1973 c 676 s 1,2; 1973 c 725 s
 37; 1978 c 725 s 2; 1981 c 29 art 1 s 3; 1984 c 560 s 1; 1987 c
 266 art 1 s 3; 1990 c 585 s 1; 1991 c 227 s 3; 1996 c 419 s
 2,3,10; 1999 c 220 s 48; 1Sp2001 c 10 art 18 s 4,5; 1Sp2003 c 9
 art 2 s 41,42; 1Sp2003 c 17 s 1; 2005 c 156 art 6 s 11-13

Copyright 2005 by the Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of
Minnesota.